By Andrew Ikehi
Hard times await violators of the Delta State anti-open grazing law as the state legislature has vowed to stamp its feet harder in collaboration with the state executive in ensuring full scale compliance.
This came to the fore yesterday following a stakeholders meeting with the State House of Assembly Committee on Legislative compliance headed by the Deputy Speaker of the State legislature, Rt Hon. Arthur Akpowowo.
At the meeting which was attended by security agencies in the State as well as the Delta State Livestock Management Committee, the lawmakers expressed worry that after three years the anti-grazing bill was passed and signed into law, herders still engage in open grazing in the state
More worrisome, according to the Rt. Hon. Akpowowo-led committee, is the fact that the unwholesome killing, maiming and raping of innocent farmers and residents in the state by herdsmen have continued unabated irrespective of the law banning open grazing in the State.
Speaking with journalists shortly after the meeting, Rt. Hon. Akpowowo, unhappy with the development, said the state legislature is irrevocably committed to ensuring that the law banning open grazing in the state is obeyed by all.
According to him, the state legislature is poised at ensuring full scale compliance of the law given the atrocities open grazing activities have caused and still causing in the State.
He said, “you will recall that about two weeks ago, it was reported here in this hallowed chamber that a farmer was killed in Uwheru community in Ughelli North Local Government Area of the State
“Also, last year, in my constituency, Abraka, some farmers were killed as they were attacked by herdsmen on their farm.
“Everywhere in Delta State, the story is the same. There is hardly any week without one ugly story or the other relating to the activities of herdsmen in the State.
“This must not continue especially when there is an existing law prohibiting open grazing in the state. The law is made to be obeyed and, it must be obeyed to the letter”, Rt. Hon. Akpowowo fumed.
Speaking further, the Deputy Speaker, who is also Chairman, House committee on Legislative Compliance, noted that untill the state, and indeed the country, takes firm decision on the the unwholesome activities of herders in the State and country, the challenge of food shortage would continue to hunt us.
According to him, the committee had ordered the security agencies in the state to rise up to their task of arresting, apprehending as well as prosecuting offenders of the law, adding that there must not be any sacred cow.
